Full Moon
by MerryAnchor16
Summary: Zoro is pushed to the brink of humility in order to apologise to a certain cook. But it's not easy in this new body... Rated T for cussing, violence and sexual references and hints in later chapters. Eventual ZoSan! ZoroxSanji!
1. Chapter 1

.Um, hi. So this is my first zosan fic and my first One Piece fic so apologies if it's terrible. Leave a review if you like it, or even if you don't- all feedback is encouraged (:

Disclaimer: One Piece isn't mine (sadly) and all of it belongs to Oda-sensei but the wolf lady/spirit is mine.

Just a note: urufu is the Japanese word for 'wolf' if anybody who reads this can speak Japanese and knows that urufu isn't the word for wolf then please know that I blame it all on Google Translate- it has been known to lie to me, just ask my french teacher (:

ANYWAY... On with the zosan!

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Zoro was sure that was when it happened. When the table shook and the food- the produce of hours of work- fell, smashing to pieces on the floor was definitely the exact moment it happened. Something inside the cook broke, shattering into bits, just like the ceramic plates and bowls. A horrible silence fell as the crew watched Sanji, terrified as to what he would do. Even Luffy had paused, a shank of meat halfway to his open mouth. The swordsman loosened the grip his teeth had on his bottom lip,

"Sanji... I..."

The cook's head dropped, fists clenched, "Don't," he growled and turned calmly, walking into his room. The slam of the door echoed through the kitchen. Zoro stared after him, something twisting his heart.

"Zoro...why?" Nami asked, looking at what was that night's meal as it began to stain the ground. She heard a door slam and looked up to see an empty space where Zoro had been.

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The swordsman was angry, no, more than angry.

He was furious.

"Stupid baka-cook!" he snapped to no one in particular as he stalked up the snowy slope, uncaring of where his feet took him. It was an accident. He hadn't meant it. He didn't judge the gap between him and the table was all.

He didn't mean to hurt the stupid love-cook.

Sanji's torn face replayed through his mind, but he pushed it away with a snarl. Zoro wouldn't apologize; it wasn't his fault. The stupid cook shouldn't have mocked him, he should've kept his big, perverted mouth shut!

Sanji's broken look swept through his mind, but the vision soon shattered when his face collided with something. He toppled backwards into the snow, gambolling once down the slight slope before regaining his balance. He scowled at the tree towering over him and shook the snow from his hair,

"Baka tree!" he spat and got to his feet, patting himself down and little clouds of white puffed up off his shirt. He held back a shiver. Great, no coat and he'd forgot his swords dammit! He sighed angrily and stalked past, making sure to get a well placed kick in at the tree's trunk.

"Oi! Respect my island you ungrateful brat!"

The swordsman spun round at the voice. Nothing but a vast expansion of white lay all around.

"Oi, up here, idiot!"

Zoro's head snapped up to see a woman sitting on one of the branches of the tree he'd walked into mere moments ago. She peered down at him with a mixture of distaste and amusement that made the hackles on Zoro's neck leap to attention. Her eyes were grey and her hair a soft shade of blue- almost like Vivi-chan's was... She frowned at him,

"You just gonna gawk like a moron, or are you going to tell me your name?"

"What's it to you, woman?" He replied with a little more venom than he intended. To his surprise, she didn't shout at him, she tipped back her head and laughed.

"Now I see why your cook got upset! You're a right piece of work, eh... Roronoa Zoro?" she cackled, swinging her legs childishly from where she was perched. Zoro stalled,

"How do you know my name?! Have you been stalking me, woman?!" he shouted. She fixed him with a pretty smile,

"Che. Don't flatter yourself young man. I won't tell you my name. It's irrelevant. But this is my island, Roronoa-san, I know all and see all. And I saw what you did to your friend's meal."

Zoro bristled, "Shut up! It was an accident! He started it!"

"You should apologize..."

"Like Hell I'll apologize to that bastard! Damned baka!" he snorted, kicking the snow. Why should he apologize? That damned cook started it!

The woman narrowed her eyes, "I don't think you appreciate your friend much-"

"We are NOT friends!"

"Do you know how long he spent on that meal?!" she snarled, baring her teeth and Zoro stared at the two long canines that protruded from the top row of teeth, "I don't think you appreciate him at all! You are a rude boy who needs to learn some manners!"

"Che." he huffed and turned around to walk away, "You can certainly try."

"Urufu," came the reply and Zoro stopped mid-stride as his body tensed up.

"Eh?"

"I'll show you some humility, you nasty human. I'll MAKE you learn some manners!" All of a sudden she was in the swordsman's face with a wolfish grin. Zoro tried to grab her but his body wouldn't respond,

"Urufu!" the woman barked and Zoro cried out as a burning sensation set his skin on fire. He looked

down and almost screamed at what he saw.

Fur.

Pure white fur.

Sprouting out of his skin in a thick sheet.

The woman shoved him and he fell down onto his hands and knees, unable to tear his eyes away from the sight of his fingers shrinking back and the skin of his palms turning rough and black.

"You have two weeks to correct your mistake or you will remain here, like this, forever!" She screeched as Zoro howled in agony from his newly formed snout. His vision was blacking out, it was all becoming too much. His clothes lay in tattered shreds around him and he swore blind he could feel his tail swishing between his back legs. He managed with the last of his strength to look up at the witch who stared defiantly at him, "Two weeks, or you're mine," she said.

Everything went black.

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Sanji had lay flat out on the bed for a few hours, staring numbly at the ceiling. He'd left the others to make their own food- he didn't feel like cooking right now. He couldn't bare to look at the bin and see all that work- all that food- gone to waste.

Stupid bastard marimo.

The ship creaked under the waves that splashed gently against it. Somewhere off on the deck came a distant 'Yohohoho!' as Brook made one of his famous skull jokes no doubt. Sanji threw an arm over his eyes and sighed deeply. He lay that way until he fell asleep, his dreams restless with islands and starvation.

It was early morning when a tremendous cry shook up the ship, jolting Sanji and, surely, the rest of the slumbering crew.

"Aiiiiiiii! Wolf! Wolf! Monster! Monster!"

The chef leapt out of bed, darted out of the room, kitchen and skidded to a halt on the green grass of the deck. Usopp and Luffy were yelling their heads off, clinging desperately to one another. Sanji scowled,

"What the Hell are you morons babbling on about?!" He snapped. Both pirates whipped their heads round and pointed simultaneously,

"MONSTER!" They screamed.

A low grumble could be heard and the scratching of claws on wood, then the thud of paws on grass, alerted the cook to a new presence. The beast, larger than any other wolf he'd laid eyes on, came staggering on to deck. It's fur was snow white, like the island, and the crown of its head was a shock of green that bled down to form a patch around its left eye. It whined pathetically, too feeble and weak to do much else, but it just managed to wag its tail when its eyes befell on the young captain. It wobbled over in that direction on four shaky legs- like it didn't know how to work them. Luffy ducked behind Usopp who screamed indignantly,

"DON'T PUSH ME IN FRONT OF IT, YOU IDIOT! I DON'T WANT TO DIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE!"

Sanji moved, stepping in its path, "Neh, what're you doing here baka wolf? We aren't your pack. Now scram before I make you into soup,"

The wolf ignored him, side stepped and continued walking towards the captain, growling deeply when the chef stepped back in the way, leg raised threateningly, "Don't make me kick your ass!" He warned. The animal looked at him indifferently and peered round the legs. Sanji noticed the way it trembled, paws sliding like it didn't know how to use them, let alone stand. Usopp shoved Luffy in front,

"It wants to eat you, not me!"

Luffy made to protest that he could let the wolf eat Usopp if he wanted him to, when the wolf wagged its tail weakly at him again, still trembling,

"Luffy!" It barked and all three men stared, stunned, as the creature spoke...

"Zoro?!" They all cried.

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"I can't find anything wrong with him. It must be muscle fatigue. His body has to adapt to its new form and he pushed himself too far to get back to the ship. He should be fine after a good long rest," Chopper said, listening to the wolf's... No, Zoro's heartbeat with the stethoscope intently. He was laid on the examination table, blankets cushioning him as he lay on his side, snoring softly. The crew were observing from the far side of the room.

"How... How did this happen?" Franky asked, frowning, "It just doesn't make any sense. This is not super, not at all..."

"I guess we'll find out when he regains consciousness. Until then, let him be," Chopper said, putting away his equipment.

"Zoro's a dog! This is soooooooooooooo cool!" Luffy crowed, poking Zoro's snout and laughing as his mouth twitched involuntarily. Nami grabbed him and walloped him hard around the head,

"He's a wolf, you moron! Now leave him alone!"

"But-"

Nami dragged him away, "Out, now!" She turned to the rest of the crew, "All of you!"

Robin left swiftly, Franky and Brook close on her heels, "It's okay Chopper, you can stay. I'm sure you'll take extra good care of Zoro-san," the Navigator cooed. The little reindeer blushed furiously,

"Shut up! That doesn't make me happy, you asshole!" He chirped, dancing side to side. Sanji watched him a moment, amused by the way the doctor thanked people, before Nami pulled him away,

"Come make us some drinks, Sanji-kun?" She asked and left as soon as she heard his cry of 'Hai, Nami-swan! Anything for you, my princess!'

As he left he paused at the door, looking back at the sleeping wolf that was once their swordsman for a second, before shaking his head and leaving the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Should explain that this isn't going to be a long fic the time Zoro is a wolf for isn't going to go on for numerous amounts of chapters or else it'll just drag and get boring or too predictable. That said, on with the story! :3

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Robin placed her hands on the table and leaned on them slightly, her black hair sweeping to frame her sharp yet stunning face, "We need to come up with our plan of action. For those of you who haven't noticed, our swordsman is no longer a human-"

"Shishishishishi! Zoro's a dog!" Luffy laughed aloud, the captain still finding it hilarious despite it happening yesterday. He shut up instantly when Nami's hand slammed into the back of his head.

"Shut up, Luffy!"

Robin allowed herself a small smile, blue eyes flashing, "Thankyou, Miss Navigator. Anyway, lets lay down the facts. We have reason to believe that Swordman-san's predicament was not caused by anything he ingested when he left the boat that night- isn't that right, Doctor-san?"

At this, Chopper nodded determinedly, "Yosh. The tests I ran were negative on consumption and infection."

"We know now, thanks to Chopper-san, that what happened was no accident. Somebody did this intentionally to Zoro wether he was willing or not and because of the lack of drugs or tainted food in Zoro's system it can only lead me to think that something much darker is at work here. I believe our best chance at finding out exactly what has happened is to question Swordsman-san once he is awake and see where that leads us."

There was a murmur of general agreement and nodding and Luffy munched on an apple happily, swallowing the large mouthful and wiping his lips with the back of his hand. A large smile stretched his face, "Yosh! Let's go get Zoro!" He cried, springing up from the table only to be pulled back down roughly by Nami.

"Luffy, he might not even be awake yet you idiot!"

"Um, well, actually he is," The voice took everyone by surprise and Luffy took the opportunity to stretch his arm and grab a banana from the fruit bowl whilst no one was looking. The young captain smiled smugly to himself and joined everyone in looking at Chopper. The little reindeer rubbed his arm with his opposite hoof, making a scritching noise on his fur, "He'd been in and out of consciousness a few times this morning but he was fully awake when I left him to join this meeting."

Sanji frowned, puffing out a wisp of smoke from his cigarette and crossed his ankles, his body propped up on the built in kitchen, the side of the surface digging into the small of his back, "You guys go ahead and ask him then... I've got to make breakfast," He stubbed out his smoke after one final drag in the ashtray next to him. He then busied himself with washing his hands, back facing the others as the crew all left together. After the door shut, he dried his hands and set about punching the code into the lock on the fridge. However, halfway through crossing the room, he stopped when his eyes caught a dark smudge on the floor next to him. He hunkered down to inspect it and his stomach twisted painfully tight.

It was the remains of last night's meal.

The meal that Zoro had ruined.

Anger swelled in his chest and a flash, a fragment of memory shot through his mind.

~~~~~~~~~flashback~~~~~~~~~

Sanji sat on the rock he'd been bound to for twenty five days now. He delved into the sack the crap-geezer had given him and his stomach growled so viciously that he physically flinched in both pain and fright. His hand clasped the last of the food he had and he pulled it out, bringing it to his lips.

'My last piece of bread...' He thought as he stared at the lump in his palm, 'Mostly mould...' He placed it on his lap and grabbed the sack again, shaking it thoroughly. His fears were confirmed: this was indeed the last of his food. He bit into it in steady mouthfuls, not even recoiling to the rotten taste he had got so used to over the past month. As he chewed he thought back to the chefs on the Orbit. The way they had eaten every last scrap of leftovers, letting nothing go to waste. He remembered the way he had yelled at them, telling them that scraps belonged in the bin because they weren't any good- you were only supposed to eat the good parts. But now, trapped on a sheer rock, malnourished and half starved to death, the little cook realised that they had been right and he swore silently to himself that if he survived this he'd never waste a single piece of food again.

He then realised with some anger that he was crying- something he hadn't done in years- and he sniffled, hiccoughing every so often. When a sudden stronger sob shook his weak body, his grasp slipped and the bread tumbled out of his hand. He made to snatch it and missed, the last of his food rolling away and over the edge to splash into the waves far below. He sat, crouched over the ledge, with his arm outstretched uselessly as he tried to process what happened, "My last piece of bread..." He whispered, voice cracking as anger and desperation clawed at the walls of his empty stomach and he curled into himself, head buried in one arm whilst the other made a fist and struck the floor feebly, "I'M STARVING!" He wailed and his stomach howled with him.

-End flashback-

A sudden splurge of pain in his fingers made Sanji snap out of his thoughts and he looked down to see his his right hand hitting the floor harshly, making his knuckles ache in protest. He stood up quickly, pulling himself together to check his fingers. 'Just bruised', he thought angrily, 'Crappy swordsman, first he ruins my meal and insults my cooking and then he nearly breaks my hand.' He ran his uninjured hand roughly through his blonde cropped locks, not even bothering to wince when he ripped through a knot. Anger writhed in his stomach and he rammed the code in the lock, threw open the fridge door and pulled out the ingredients a little more roughly than intended to block all mosshead related thoughts from his mind.

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"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HA!"

"I swear, if you don't shut up, I'm gonna-"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHA!"

"SHUT UP, LUFFY! IT'S NOT FUNNY DAMMIT!"

The Captain howled, clutching his stomach as he rolled on the floor. His face was red and his eyes were running from the force of laughing. He covered his face for a moment, taking deep breaths until he was somewhat composed and then removed his hands again. His dark eyes opened and he took one glance at Zoro and burst out into a fresh fit of giggles, seemingly uncaring as Nami excused herself, grabbed Luffy's ear and dragged him from the room.

Chopper was trotting around the large, male wolf poking and prodding and asking, 'Are you okay?' and 'Does it hurt?' like it was going out of fashion. Zoro simply slumped back on his lower quarters and either nodded or shook his head at each question. Brook and Franky had perched themselves on the now vacant bed, the skeleton swinging his legs in a childish manner as the cyborg beside him stared at Zoro with his brow furrowed in confusion.

Apparently satisfied with the information the swordsman had relayed to him, Chopper stepped away with a small smile. Robin took that as her cue, "So a woman did this to you?" she asked, referring to Zoro's tale. Zoro nodded,

"Yeah, she was out of her tree- a total nutcase," He replied, "Stupid witch..."

"Did she force you to eat anything? Drink anything?"

"Like I said before; no. All she did was say some stupid words and the next thing I know I'm... I'm stuck like this," he shuffled his front paws as if to emphasize that point. Robin frowned slghtly and placed a slender hand on an even more slender hip in thought,

"Swordsman-san, do you know why she did this to you?"

At this Zoro hesitated, 'Because of the shit-cook' he thought to himself but he didn't voice it. He stared at the archaeologist with large red and brown eyes for a moment and she arched a brow in encouragement, "No," Zoro said, "I don't know why she did it." Robin narrowed her eyes briefly at him, like she was searching deeper, and Zoro could feel himself crumpling under it. He looked away, quickly speaking, "But she said I'd only spend two weeks like this and then I belong to her island- whatever that means,"

The peering look didn't drop from Robin's face, but she hummed as she thought about this information, "Then this suggests that this is only part of something bigger. A part of a process if you will. After those two weeks, this woman claims something will happen and you will become hers whether you want to or not. All we need now is to figure out just what that process is."

"But how do we do that?" Franky piped up, "We have nowhere to start from and no leads." Next to him, legs still swinging, Brook nodded in agreement. Robin looked at them both and smiled,

"Of course we have somewhere to start," She said, "I say that we should take a trip inland and there we will find our first lead."

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"You're doing really well Zoro!"

"Like this? Is this right?"

"Yes! Perfect!" Chopper beamed as he trotted around the swordsman in his Walk-point, "You're doing great!" For the past hour the reindeer had been teaching Zoro the fundamentals of walking. Now that he had four legs, Chopper had told him walking was a little different and took a little more effort. Zoro had learnt that as one front leg took a step out, the opposite hind leg followed after and it was vice versa for walking backwards. He'd picked it up fairly quickly- much to the doctor's delight- and was now moving smoothly across the deck, paws thudding softly on the grass. He still had to get used to the weight of his tail that pulled down from the bottom of his spine, but Chopper said in a few days he wouldn't even notice it anymore. He moved after the deer, ghosting his footsteps and mimicking his leg movements until he felt confident enough to pick up speed and soon enough he was racing around the deck with big bounds.

"Woah! You're soooo fast!" Luffy cheered as he and Usopp ran after him, the Captain managing to match his pace, but the marksman fell behind easily. Luffy chased the swordsman-now-wolf a few times around the mast until they both collapsed, panting heavily. Chopper cantered around them, joining with Usopp and Brook in laughing happily at the two.

Zoro gathered himself up and regained his balance, his tail wagging happily, as Chopper morphed back into his Brain-point with a smile and picked up his little blue medical bag, "You're doing really well, Zoro. It's good to see you putting a positive spin on this; your mental health is just as important as your physical, remember that," He said and Zoro nodded. Of course he'd put a positive spin on this. He'd got it all planned out- wait until nightfall, join the stupid ero-cook on his watch, apologise, and BOOM he got his body back. Easy.

"Oi, oi! Everyone get ready to board land! We leave in ten minutes!" Nami's voice sliced through the air like an arrow from its quiver. Immediately everyone began rushing about, Chopper crying out for the crew to dress warmly and sensibily because he didn't want anyone catching a cold- making a special exception to berate Luffy for wearing only his vest, shorts and sandals on a Winter island. Brook sat onto one of the railings, not bothering to move because, 'I have no skin to feel cold with!' which was shortly followed by a loud, 'Yo-ho-ho-ho!' and a bout of laughter from the young captain.

Zoro made to go to his room but stopped in sudden realisation. He couldn't wear clothes anymore- not his normal clothes anyway. Suddenly he felt very exposed, almost naked, missing the hugging sensation of the haramaki around his middle and the weight of the swords pressed against his hip. He plonked his rear back down on the deck and frowned, completely unaware that frowning didn't work in his new form and only gave him a perculiar expression that looked like he was in pain and about to sneeze. Everyone else had rushed off to get their coats and other Winter gear until there was only him and Brook left-

"Oi, Zoro!"

Involuntarily, Zoro's ears twitched, pricking up to attention a little more. He looked up to see Nami and Franky waving over to him. He stood up and made his way over. Nami was wearing thick boots, jeans, a thick woollen coat and mittens and Franky was actually wearing trousers, but Zoro figured that was because Chopper had either screamed at him or tried his 'cute' act on him and it had actually worked. As he made his way over to stand in front of them, his head just about reaching Nami's thigh, he noticed something thick and heavy held in the cyborg's left hand. Nami caught him staring and explained, "We're going to be heading into the village and we all agreed that walking around with a wolf is going to attract some attention, most likely unwanted attention. So Robin came up with an idea-"

Franky cut in, "We're gonna make you look domesticated and then maybe we can pull you off as one of those husky dogs or a tamed beast. That way we don't have to leave you on the boat where that woman you were on about could easily find you, and we won't arouse any suspicion. Killing two birds with one stone!"

Zoro looked at them both, "Domesticate me? How can-" He question died in his throat as Franky held out what was in his hand,

"I spent all morning on it, I hope you like it. I wanted to make it look... 'Zoro'," He mused aloud as Zoro stared.

In the cyborg's hand was a collar. It was black leather, slightly tanned to give it a rustic look, with a buckle at the back to adjust the tightness. Hanging off the front was not a tag as he had anticipated, but three slivers of very familiar gold. On closer inspection, he could see that they were infact three perfect mimics of his earrings- the originals being lost along with the clothes he was wearing the day he changed. Franky jiggled it enticingly, almost expectantly, "Well, what do you think?" He moved to put it on the swordsman, but Zoro immediately backed off. Franky frowned, looking almost hurt, "What's wrong? Don't you like it?"

Nami was frowning at him too and Zoro hastily backtracked, "I do like it... But I can't wear it. A collar is the last straw- I won't let myself be completely humiliated..." The Navigator took this in and her scowl softened,

"I understand that it's hard Zoro, but understand that it's for your benefit. We're not asking you to wear it all the time, but just while we go out. You can have it off straight after, I promise..."

Zoro narrowed his eyes at her.

* * *

Some time and some haggling later, the Strawhat Pirates had set off for the inland village. Zoro was now wearing the collar and some sort of lead and was feeling very smug. In the end the red haired witch had to reduce his debt to her by ten percent in order to get the collar on. This had left her in a sour mood as she stormed off ahead, snapping at anyone who came too close. Robin was deep in conversation with Brook; Luffy and Usopp were trying to shove each other into any snow drifts they passed; and Zoro walked along by Chopper, Franky holding the lead loosely in his hand. Chopper soon bounded off the moment he saw Luffy disappear face first into a pile of snow, screaming that he wanted to play too. And then that left only one person for Franky to talk to.

The shit-cook.

Franky happily began a conversation with Sanji when Zoro caught a whiff on the air- Tobacco and spices. The shit-cook usually smelt like that, but the sudden strength of it took the swordsman completely off guard and he almost staggered into Franky's legs, just managing to stop himself before he collided. He felt nauseous, all he could smell was Sanji- sure, he could still smell the rest of his crew- but the stench of tobacco was so strong he wrinkled his snout and the hackles of his neck rose to stand on end. He tripped slightly on his feet and felt a tugging sensation around his throat as the lead went taught, but that didn't matter, all that mattered waa the smell. It was so heavy and thick he could almost taste it, and his eyes burned.

There was a high pitched noise in his ears and it took Zoro a while to realize it was him. He was whining, a confused and panicked sound, but rather than trying to stop it he continued- it was the only way he could express this suffering. Desperate to evade the stench, he buried his snout into the snow as deep as he could.

"Zoro! Zoro what's wrong? Wahhhh, somebody get a doctor!"

"That's YOU, Chopper!"

"Oh yeah- right... Zoro, what's wrong, what's upsetting you?" Chopper said seriously and a light pressure fell into Zoro's fur- he guessed this was the reindeer's hoof. He pulled his head out of the snow and visibly winced as the smell struck him again. He glanced up to where Sanji stood looking completely befuddled at the unusual behaviour and at the fact that Zoro seemed to be death glaring the lit cigarette in his fingers. Chopper's face brightened as it dawned on him, "Sanji, stub out your cigarette!"

"What? Why?" The chef questioned as the rest of the crew looked to him.

"Just do it!" Chopper squeaked.

The Strawhat Pirates watching him intensely, Sanji sighed and reluctantly dropped the roll of paper, stepping on and crushing it with his shoe, "There. Done,"

Zoro took a hesitant sniff at the air but didn't recoil as much this time. Chopper patted his shoulder gently, "Is that better now, Zoro?" He asked and smiled softly when the large wolf nodded his head, the charms of his collar jingling happily. He then turned to the others, "Zoro's sense of smell is a lot more sensitive now. And being a canine animal, his nose is lot more powerful than even mine. Something that smells bad to you is going to be like Hell for him. Sanji," He adressed the chef, "Your tobacco is a strong brand. I suggest you either switch to another or refrain from smoking whilst Zoro is in this state. As for the rest of you, I ask that you don't use any strong scented colognes or perfumes."

The pirates nodded in agreement except for Sanji. Zoro met his gaze dead on and paused. The chef's blue eyes were glaring right at him and Zoro wondered if lasers would suddenly burst out of them and incinerate him where he stood. There was a flicker of pain in the blue and the swordsman winced as he realised that that was the same expression from last night... When Zoro had destroyed the dinner. Sanji blinked and the broken look was lost to be replaced with a sneer, "Drama queen," He snapped and stalked off ahead through the snow on the path, a wisp of smoke trailing after him as he lit up again.

Everyone looked at the swordsman expectantly, waiting for the inevitable comeback, but Zoro said nothing and waited until Franky tugged at his lead gently before trudging off into the cold snow, the sludge of it turning his paws numb.

His eyes never left the quickly retreating figure of the cook.

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A little away from the group, sticking to the cluster of trees, slunk a lone she-wolf. Her fur was tinted blue and she watched the male wolf with interest through the gaps in the trunks for a moment before running on ahead. She dodged around roots and rocks with ease, paws never slipping on the sludgy snow or ice, and only pulled down to a brisk walk when she saw the second man who'd piqued her interest. He was long legged and blond with big blue eyes and his body language screamed of anger and hurt, "So this is him, Zoro?" She mused quietly, "I bid you good luck. I have a feeling you'll need it."

She took off back into the darkness of the forest where the trees grew thicker and closer together, a smug smile on her face.

There was no way a man that hurt would forgive the swordsman so soon. Roronoa Zoro would need longer than two weeks to fix this.

She waited until she was in the darkest depths of the woodland before morphing back into her true form. Now a woman, she jumped onto the nearest rock with a gleeful grin,

"It looks like you will be mine, Roronoa Zoro..."

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AN: And so the plot thickens... The whole flashback was courtesy of One Piece the manga Volume 7 Chapter 58: 'The Crap Geezer'. I'll admit, Sanji's background was the one that made me cry the most out of all of them ;-; gah, it was so sad...

Anyway, next update should be sometime next week or the week after it depends how much time I get to write this.

Reviews and opinions much appreciated! :3


	3. Chapter 3

AN: This chapter is for my bezzie Aimee and for ASLShanks because I promised I'd put up a new chapter today :D I'm sorry that this is sort of a filler but it'll pick up in the next chapter (:

Hope you enjoy and please leave a review- all opinions welcome (:

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The town was nothing like Zoro had been expecting, and the look on everyone else's faces suggested the same thing. The road beneath their feet opened out into a vast plain blanketed in snow. Around the whole edge of the town was a forest filled with evergreens and redwoods that stretched up impossibly tall to tickle the clouds with their fingers. It was now early afternoon, and still no sun peeked out, the sky was an endless canvas of greys and whites with very few faint patches of blue blossoming every so often. Luffy looked at the scene before him with childish awe, "Wow... It's so pretty..." He murmured and Nami clasped her hands together in delight,

"Look at all the little houses! They're so cute!"

The houses were all log cabins, the wood most likely felled from the surrounding forest, and each was small enough to be classed as cosy and each one was painted a deep red- a stark contrast to the surrounding whiteness. From where he stood, Zoro could see clearly the figures of the townsfolk walking around their daily business and a few streets lined with shops. He sniffed the air and the smell of baked goods from the bakery and the sharp tang of metal from the blacksmiths happily met his nose.

Nami clapped for everyone's attention and began speaking, "Right. Everyone, you are in charge of your own money. If you lose it you've only yourself to blame. However, I will happily lend you replacement money at triple interest..."

"Nami-swaaan is so generous!" Came the cook's anticipated scream.

Zoro rolled his eyes.

"I want you all on your best behaviour. That means no looking for trouble; no stealing; no fighting; no getting involved in anyone else's business; and NO ADVENTURES. I'm looking at you, Luffy."

The Captain pouted and muttered something about 'Nami never letting him do anything', which was completely untrue. Nami glared at him before resuming, "You're all free to do what you want. Robin and I will be together looking for anything that can help Zoro out and I want us to all meet back at that clock tower," She pointed and they all followed her hand to the large red monument slap bang in the centre of the townsquare, "At precisely five'o'clock. Okay, that's it."

Everyone branched off and Franky passed Zoro's lead over to Nami who smiled before he too wandered off towards town. Zoro stood next to her and Robin, waiting for them to set off. Nami raised a gloved hand to her mouth, "SANJI-KUN!"

Zoro had never seen the cook move so fast in his life. One second he was walking down the road the next he materialized right before the navigator, hearts in his eyes as he fawned over her like the baka he was, "Yes Nami-swan! How may I help?"

To say the cook looked horrified when Nami pressed Zoro's lead into his palm was an understatement.

He laughed nervously, "Hah, Nami my sweet... What's the meaning of this?"

Zoro noted the way the cook said 'this'. It was sharp and he sounded disgusted- as if Zoro was something nasty on the bottom of his shoe. Zoro almost flinched at the word. Almost.

Robin smiled softly, "We thought you could use a helping hand with your grocery shopping- Zoro wouldn't want to come with us, it'll be far too boring."

"Actually I wouldn't mind-" Zoro started, but was cut off by Nami.

"Sanji-kun, don't you want to help me? I can't hold Zoro, he's too big and strong! What if he pulls the lead? I could fall over and get hurt! Robin might get hurt too if she holds him!" Nami looked as if she was on the brink of tears and Robin nodded, batting her eyes at him, "I thought I could trust you Sanji-kun! You're so big and strong-"

"Yosh! I will hold him for you, mellorine! I am the strongest and the biggest! No one else can manage this task but me!" Sanji cried, all disgust gone from his face and hearts spewing everywhere.

Zoro felt the sudden urge to throw up at the inhuman display. Nami squealed in purely fake delight, "Oh Sanji, my hero!" She then sealed off any arguement the cook might put up when he realised he'd been tricked by planting a quick kiss on his forehead, "Please take care of him!"

Zoro was sure the cook would have responded if he hadn't melted at the kiss and fallen face first into the snow. He lay there, swooning on the ground for a few minutes, until Zoro had had enough, "Oi, shitcook, you gonna get up or lie there like the moron you are?" Nami and Robin were long gone by now and Zoro was fed up of the cold seeping inbetween his paws, "Oi, baka, get the Hell up!" He snarled and batted the back of Sanji's head with a big paw, "Not all of us want to freeze their asses off out here!"

"Muht dermell duk, mamio!" Sanji snapped, his voice muffled from the snow.

"What? Get your face out of the bloody snow, dipshit!"

"I said, 'SHUT THE HELL UP MARIMO'!" Sanji screamed. Zoro smirked.

Oh, this was going to be a great day.

* * *

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* * *

The town was bustling with people despite the cold, the figures walking briskly about in thick coats, gloves, hats and scarves. Sanji pulled his scarf a little tighter around his slim neck as he halted by the shop door. Zoro was plodding along lazily behind him and the cook bristled- he knew the swordsman was being slow just to piss him off- and he pulled on the lead harshly, smiling in triumph as the wolf tripped over himself and fell snout first in the snow. He laughed as Zoro picked himself back up and shook his head, dazed. He noticed the hysterical cook and growled,

"Shut your mouth,"

Sanji laughed all the harder, gripping his stomach. Zoro glared at him before striding up and shaking his fur out, the snow spraying all over the cook's new coat and splatting into his open mouth. He immediately stopped laughing, spluttering on the snow in his throat, "What the Hell did you do that for, baka?!"

"Don't pull me over then, you damned curly-brow!"

"What did you just say?!"

"Get your freaky eyebrows out of my face!"

"Marimo!"

"Pervert!"

"Dumb dog!"

"Say that again shit-cook! I'll cut you up!"

"Do it! I dare you!"

Zoro paused at that. What could he do? He couldn't use his swords anymore, not with these large, disproportionate excuses for paws. Without the three blades beside him, Zoro realised that he was rendered useless by this curse. What use were empty threats in a real fight? He narrowed his eyes as the shit-cook leered down at him, a smile tugging at his lips, "Come on, okami-marimo. What's wrong?"

Zoro pulled a scowl that looked like he was halfway between sneezing and yawning as the smile above him turned into a grin. And not just any grin. Oh, no.

This was the cook's signature shit-eating grin. The one he saw every time they got into a scrap.

"Fuck you, ero-cook..." Zoro growled, retreating for now. But he'd get his own back. He'd make them even again. As Sanji snickered in self-satisfaction, Zoro laughed inwardly.

Just you wait, shit-cook. Just you wait.

Sick of that smug-as-fuck grin, Zoro barreled off down the street, ignoring the tugging as the cook tried to regain control. He smirked to himself as his now more sensitive ears heard the scuffle and scrapes of Sanji's shoes on the cobblestone, snow and ice as the cook tried to pull him back, "Oi, oi, shitty-marimo! Slow down!"

Zoro blanked out the curses and threats and charged onwards, tounge out and panting heavily from the strain of pulling. A few bystanders watched them, looking up from their daily shopping as a blonde haired man was dragged relentlessly on his ass through the snow flurried street by an enormous wolf on a lead. A sudden blow caused Zoro's legs to sweep sideways and he tumbled unceremoniously. He heard Sanji's laugh and figured the shitty bastard had kicked him. He made to snarl when something heavy fell on top of him and he yelped as the momentum rolled him over a few times in a tangle of limbs and paws and tail. After a moment of gathering his mind back up, Zoro shot his head up and was surprised to see the cook's face glaring at him. Sanji had turned an alarming shade of magenta and the colour had spread all the way to his neck, "Don't you say a single word, bastard," he snapped, moving the arm trapped under Zoro's back.

It was only then that the marimo realised that Sanji was lying on him, one arm pinned beneath his back whilst the other was tied to Zoro's hind leg by the lead, the cook's own legs tangled his tail with the knees jutting painfully into the soft flesh of his belly. Sanji growled and pulled, trying to pry one hand free and relieve himself of this hideously unattractive Sanji-and-marimo-wolf pretzel they'd got themselves into. The cook pulled the hand from under the swordsman's back free and began clawing at the lead feverishly, undoing the knots, "I...misjudged the kick..." He grunted in explanation, "I didn't- piece of shit, come undone! I didn't see the ice..."

His head suddenly whipped up, blonde locks spilling on his reddening cheeks, "And wipe that grin off your face before I wipe it off permanently!" He pulled one final time and the leather fell undone. Zoro felt Sanji's weight peel off him, but he oddly missed it as soon as it was gone. He didn't dwell on the loss long as a tug on his neck had him rolling over to stand up. A sharp tang wafted against his nose and he shuddered, watching Sanji light up another strong cigarette and release a smooth coil of smoke. Zoro bowed his head to lessen the smell and smirked, "Misjudged the kick, eh?"

Sanji snapped his head round, a vicious glint in his eyes, "Shut your fu-"

"Excuse me sir, are you okay?"

The cook whirled round immediately, pulling the lead and Zoro with him. Zoro jutted out his claws in a effort to remain upright and glowered at the blonde who was now spewing out so many hearts he was shocked the girl hadn't been swept away by them. He slunk around the cook's long legs, getting a glance of the female. She was pretty with a pixie nose and curved jaw and wore a hood over her head, concealing her hair. A blue coat hugged her slim figure and pushed up her chest which Sanji was currently fighting the urge to bleed all over. She spotted Zoro and looked at him amusedly. Zoro froze as his eyes met gunmetal grey.

It was her.

It was the witch who did this to him! He didn't need to see her hair to know it was blue, her eyes were enough. He remembered the way they had looked at him, accused him.

'Two weeks or you're mine!'

Her voice from the other night blasted like a bullet through his thoughts. It all came rushing back- the ruined meal, the anger and the broken look on Sanji's face as something deep within him shattered into a million irreparable pieces. Zoro flinched inwardly. Sanji... He hadn't meant to hurt him...

"What a lovely animal, is he tame?" The sudden question jerked the marimo out of his addled mind in time to see the woman's hand reaching toward him. Immediately Zoro leapt back, snarling and hackles raised. He saw the small, wicked smirk she gave him before pulling back with a soft cry of surprise, "He nearly bit me! I thought you said he was tame?"

Sanji pulled harshly on the lead, the collar pressing painfully into his neck but Zoro didn't move. The wolf growled deeply, ears flat back, legs locked and tail rigid, "Oi, okami, pack it in!"

He pulled again, but when he realised that Zoro would not move he frowned. Turning back to the pretty woman he said, "Neh, I'm sorry he's never-" Sanji stopped as his words fell on deaf ears and the woman was gone, "Where did she-?"

"Cook..." Zoro mumbled and Sanji grabbed the lead tight and dragged the overgrown wolf into an alley away from prying eyes. Once he was certain they were away from any evesdroppers (a man arguing with a wolf was bound to raise suspicion in public) he crouched down and pulled Zoro close by the collar, taking in some delight when he heard the former swordsman grunt from the force,

"Look marimo-brain, just because you're even more of an animal than you already were, it does not give you the right to treat ladies like-"

"It was her," Zoro rasped, cutting off the blonde mid-lecture. Sanji frowned,

"What? What are you on about?"

Zoro pulled against Sanji's hands, but the grip only got tighter, "It was her, shit-cook!"

"What the hell are you on about?! Tell me baka!"

"She's the one who turned me like this!" Zoro yapped, wriggling free as the cook let go of his collar. The cigarette in the blonde's mouth fell from parted lips, fizzing out in the snow. He narrowed his one visible eye at the wolf in front of him.

"W-what?"

* * *

¤ne P|ece

* * *

"Very interesting..." Robin remarked as she admired the statue. Nami looked up at the huge masterpiece as it loomed over them both,

"Woah, it's really tall!" She remarked.

The item of interest was an emormous sculpted wolf. It stood, attached to the ground, guarding the stone steps leading up to the clock tower in the centre of town. On the opposite side was an identicle statue, teeth bared threateningly, claws out and gilded gold leaf ears drawn back. Under their feet were inscriptions carved into jade slabs. Robin bent down and brushed some of the snow away to get a better look. Nami peered over her shoulder,

"What are they?"

Robin frowned, "They appear to be a story about two men who came to this island many years ago... But that's all I can make out, this language is ancient and new to me," She ran her fingers over it, "But it seems that these two men were turned into wolves, just like swordsman-san."

Nami looked down at the pictures to the place where Robin was pointing. It showed two men cast in swirls of what she assumed were supposed to be a magic of sorts, but what caught her eye was the woman stood behind them. She had her arms raised and a wicked grin on her face as she turned the men to beasts. Nami pointed, "Zoro said he saw a woman... Is this her?"

"It could well be. See those lines around her head? Almost like a crown? That means she's sacred, she might be this island's goddess or a spirit."

"A spirit?! But how do you look for a spirit?" Nami asked.

"Can I help you?"

Nami squeaked as she jumped and spun sharply to face the man behind her, "Who do you think you are sneaking up on people like that?! I-" She stopped mid-yell as she realised the man wasn't even looking at her anymore and had instead turned to Robin,

"You ladies tourists?" He asked and Robin nodded, "Can I help you with anything?" He smiled genuinely from beneath the woollen hat on his head but Robin narrowed her eyes - she still had to be cautious, strangers didn't just talk to people as openly as this usually. The young man caught her look and pulled off his hat, silver shoulder length tumbling out and brown eyes glimmering warmly, "Heh, it's okay. I'm not here to rob you or anything- it's just that we don't get many visitors after..." He trailed off.

Nami moved to step in behind the archaeologist, "After what?"

The man laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head with gloved fingers, "Ah, well, it isn't something we should be discussing in public. The townsfolk..." He lowered his voice, "Well, they have their... superstitions..."

"Superstitions?" Nami said, jumping back a little as the man hushed her harshly.

"Don't be so loud, dammit!" He turned to Robin, "I think we should take this somewhere more... private. Please, follow me."

He donned his hat again and stepped away into the street, beckoning them with a small motion of his hand. Robin stepped out after him, but Nami's hand gripped her sleeve. Light brown eyes locked with ice blue, "Robin-chan, should we really be following him?" She hissed, a worried look on her face.

Robin patted her hand, "You worry too much, navigator-san. If we do get into trouble we can handle it, I'm sure. Plus, how else are we going to help Zoro-kun?"

Nami held her gaze a while longer before finally submitting, "O-okay then..." Robin smiled encouragingly and continued toward the man. Nami followed after, hand clasped around her climatact in white kuckle grip.


End file.
